G'day Jason,  welcome,  and getting that diagnosis is so important because at least now you know the beast you're dealing with and can finally fight back.

Shame about the Sumatripan shortage but as your headaches are so close to clockwork you could perhaps take a pill an hour or so before a big one is due to give it time to start working within your system.  There's also a button on the left side of your screen marked  "Immitrex Tip"  which might see you get more than one shot out each of your eight injectibles.

Also look around the boards here in regard to the vitamin D3 regimen which is offering great success for many people at just pennies a day.

You say you have a great supporter and I ask you give him our sincere thanks because people like that are hard find to find and we rate them right alongside gold and diamonds.

CH is an absolute menace,  no doubt about that,  but the fight is winnable.

All the best from down under,

Brian.

Jason,

Welcome to CH.com. Lots of support and wisdom to be found here, from expert sufferers all over the world.

Brian has given you great advice on the D3 Regimen. I am a chronic sufferer of many years and, like you, it took many years of despair before I got a diagnosis.

However, even with the diagnosis the only treatment that worked for me to any degree was the D3. It has, literally, saved my life.

This treatment was designed by Pete Batcheller (Batch), our most dedicated member and has made a significant improvement in the lives of countless sufferers.

So, here is the detail. Read and come back with questions, comments, as much as you need.

Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

And remember, you are never alone. There is always someone here, even if it’s just to listen.

Best,

Peter.

Hi and welcome Jason

You've found somewhere where we know the true nature of extreme pain that can come with a CH.

We've even got our own pain scale, which was created by Bob Kipple to describe what it can be like.

0      No pain, life is beautiful
1      Very minor, shadows come and go. Life is still beautiful
2      More persitent shadows
3      Shadows are getting constant but can deal with it
4      Starting to get bad, want to be left alone
5      Still not a “pacer” but need space
6      Wake up grumbling, curse a bit, but can get back to sleep without “dancing”
7      Wake up, sleep not an option, take the beast for a walk and finally fall into bed exhausted
8      Time to scream, yell, curse, head bang, rock, whatever works
9      The “Why me?” syndrome starts to set in
10      Major pain, screaming, head banging, ER trip, depressed, suicidal.

I think a 10 burns memories into your brain of something truly beyond description. There seems to be no pain like it from reports of lots of people here over the years, although it isn't really a competition as to what gives the worst pain as all pain can be horrible in its impacts.

The idea of something like an eye amputation to get rid of the pain really shows people who don't have the experience what sort of pain we can go through.

I too have relaxation as a trigger for CH, although some people have the opposite and it is stress that is the trigger.

Alcohol is a very common trigger for the majority of people with CH, although not for all of us. Aussie Brian is very kind to offer a service for taking "care" of your alcohol for you.

Again sleep is a common trigger for most, although not all.

I've not heard of bright sunlight being a trigger, but I wouldn't rule out that you might have CH and migraines (quite a few of us have multiple headache types, with CH and migraine being probably the most common).

I wrote up a detailed post on verapamil a few years ago, which will be well worth a read - Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

For oxygen, are you using a non-rebreather mask? How high is the flow rate (15lpm+ with higher being better)? Read up about O2 at - Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or

Am surprised by your experience with acupuncture helping as this is very rarely reported. But great that it helps you.

I'll also back up the suggestion about D3 (Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or ). Over 80% of people using it get a positive benefit with many (including myself) going CH pain free for multiple years. I'd strongly suggest you give it a go as the impact of it can be massive.

It is wonderful that you've got a supporter who is there for you. CH is pretty tough, not just on us but on our supporters too. Mine is better than gold, she is more like a combination of platinum and diamonds when I need her.

Since you're tired, why not ask him to look into it for you? I'm sure he'd be happy to try to help.

As for advice on where to begin, it's one step at a time, plus enjoying the time between CHs as much as you can.

Jason,

What is the dosage of D3 in that multivitamin you mention. It should be stated in IU (International units)?

Peter.

Jason,

You should really follow the 4 week loading dose set out in Batch’s paper and then have your bloods done to establish your 25(OH) level.

700iu daily is not likely to build your D3 levels high enough to chase the Beast away.

Peter.